BRIDGEPORT, W.Va (WDTV) -The Highmark Foundation awarded a $1 million grant to WVU Medicine to expand the Food for Mountaineers Program.
The program was originally launched in 2024 to tackle food insecurity in West Virginia.
As a part of the collaboration, WVU Medicine patients who need food assistance will receive pre-funded debit cards to buy nutritious food at grocery stores and other providers such as Kroger, Food Lion, Walmart, Amazon Fresh, Instacart, and Dollar General.
WVU Medicine says they hope this initiative helps benefit patients.
“That helps us to really figure out how we can best help our patients who are suffering from food insecurity as well as some diet-related chronic disease and our hope over these next two years to provide food to these folks, as well as show that food as medicine is a good initiative. Really hoping to prove this model so that in the future it can become more sustainable and we can offer it to more patients,” Chris McCormick, AVP of Population Health at WVU Medicine said.
Organizers say funding for Food for Mountaineers is an important investment as 1 in 6 West Virginians face hunger.
Copyright 2026 WDTV. All rights reserved.